The inaugural Construction Inclusion Week was held October 18-21, 2021. Organized by Time for Change, a construction industry collaboration dedicated to identifying ways to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the construction industry, Construction Inclusion Week provided five days of content and resources designed to promote inclusion and enable thoughtful conversations regarding diversity within the construction industry. Construction Inclusion Week also pushed the construction industry to create stronger relationships with the communities in which we build.

SkillSmart, along with more than 1,000 other construction industry firms participated in the inaugural event, including specialty contractors, vendors, suppliers, and affiliated industry associations. Our team found the daily topics and discussions around them to be significantly important. We also held internal discussions to talk with our team about their viewpoints and suggestions surrounding inclusion, equity, and diversity. These conversations were not only though provoking, but also generated some ideas on enhancing and improving inclusion efforts.  

Although not surprised, it was encouraging to hear many of the speakers suggesting that firms continue to look at, and build upon, the data that companies have to move efforts forward for diversity, inclusion, and equity. Whether that is data from recruitment, workforce development, subcontractor and vendor partnerships, mentoring, or even demographics from the communities the construction industry is building in, it is valuable for these important discussions.

We are thankful to be a part of the inaugural Construction Inclusion Week and all that participated by engaging in the conversations, sharing experiences, challenging the procedures currently in place, asking questions, and all that came into this week with an open mind, willing to be educated on these important topics.

Thank you to Mortenson, DPR Construction, Gilbane Building Company, Turner Construction Company, McCarthy Building Companies, Clark Construction Group, ABC of America, and AGC of America for creating Time for Change to identify ways to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in construction. SkillSmart was proud to participate in the inaugural campaign and are planning to continue these conversations throughout the year with our team and our clients.

Throughout our social media posts for #ConstructionInclusionWeek we shared several links for videos and blog posts. To access any of those resources, please visit the links below.

Resources:

CIW Week Recap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu2zCsGstZo

Construction Inclusion Week 2021: https://www.constructioninclusionweek.com/

Milwaukee Bucks Retain Jobless Workers to Build New Arena: https://bit.ly/3j68PYz

Unconscious Bias at Work – Making the Unconscious Conscious: https://lnkd.in/ePxnZ3c

SkillSmart Sample Report: https://lnkd.in/edzZqNw